Post Game Content
by Tobakugami
Summary: Everything is resolved. From loose soul hunting to time travel, Keima had reached the ending. Or had he? There are still many pressing questions to be answered. What lies beyond the end he worked so hard to reach? What was he about to throw himself into in his own morbid curiosity?
1. After the dust settles

TWGOK: Post Game Content

Chapter 1: After the dust settles

…

**Author notes:**

**I haven't been here in a very long time. I have my (inexcusable) reasons, that being that I wasn't satisfied with my previous work. Whenever I looked back upon it, I know the story I wanted to write was in the correct direction, at least, generally speaking. However, how I approached my goal was lackluster to say the least. So, while I'm going to reach the same goal for this fanfic, I plan on approaching it in a completely different way. I've spent the last 4-5+ years theory crafting and coming up with ideas dead set on returning here to publish this. Is it going to end up as wasted effort? **_**Only god knows**_**.**

**Also, I'm going to be upfront about this fanfic and why it even exists, I **_**hated**_** the end to the manga. Although I don't feel it detracted from the series as a whole, it felt extremely rushed and out of nowhere. My plan with this is to fill the unanswered questions the end created us with as well as others that were never answered that had existed for a while. I have spent far too long in agony realizing there will never be a satisfying ending unless the author decides to pull a Blue Exorcist on us and return to revise the ending. While this fanfic is focused on a more conclusive ending to the series, even if it isn't official, I plan on creatively turning it into its own final arc set right after the final chapter of the manga as if the author himself decided to finish the series properly. I just want to provide some closure to this series, with everything resolved.**

* * *

This isn't what Keima anticipated, not in the slightest. When a game has been successfully finished, that was supposed to be the end of it. Play the soothing BGM with the main heroine and protagonist embraced together with their lips locked together as the camera pans away revealing 'THE END' over the scene. Credits roll and it's on to the next game. At the absolute most, there will be a post-game scene after the events of the game where you get to hear the thoughts of all the other heroines you interacted with over the course of the game, but that is an acceptable exception!

So why is he stuck here having an awkward face off with the girl sitting across from him at the local family diner? Well, it was less of a face off and more like the two of them were just poking each other with a quick glance. However, it was a face off in the sense that the two of them were trying to get the other to say something, anything.

The girl in question he was dealing with is Kosaka Chihiro, who he had just confessed to and rejected by on this very day. The real world, being the joker as usual, played a strange card however and instead of the rejection being the end of it, Chihiro had done a complete 180 on him and asked him out on a tea date just under an hour later.

He had no idea _how_ it turned out like that, Chihiro had always defied his expectations, but that's probably what made him fall for her in the first place. A heroine who he had no expectations of, who was so normal in character design that she could have easily fallen into a large crowd and you wouldn't be able to distinguish her from the rest of the mob. Her parameters were so weak that not even her strongest one was even worth mentioning. She didn't have any special talent nor was she affiliated with any club or activity. In short, she had no routes to be followed. Despite all that, she managed to exceed all his expectations by a wide margin, not just by 'real' girls but even the glorious ideal girls of the gaming world.

Keima couldn't get over what he did to her though. During her initial conquest, he couldn't read any of her obvious flags, focusing solely on trying to avoid his own responsibility and shoving it on some other guy that Chihiro only had a passing infatuation for.

Secondly, during the goddess mess, when he realized that Chihiro was not the host of the final goddess, in the heat of the moment added upon the stress of lurking death flags and a rapidly approaching time limit, he dumped her in the worst possible way possible. A decision he guarantees will haunt him for the rest of his life.

Lastly, he dragged her around as a tool for the conquest of Ayumi right after.

* * *

Chihiro who asked Keima out here was acting just as awkward as him. Unlike him, she had good reason though! They were a young couple sitting across from each other at a family diner at 9 in the morning. Not only was it way too early for a date for a couple as young as them, but they were dead silent to each other and would only look over at each other for a moment before swiftly breaking eye contact and looking away again.

To top things off, Katsuragi had a giant box resting on the table with what could possibly be a hundred dusty PFPs jumbled in there. Every once in a while, that boy would dig around in that box and open up the disk tray for the console before creepily giggling in some sort of nostalgia trip. Naturally this led to some odd looks from the old diners here before they went back to their newspapers muttering about the youth being failures in life.

However, it wouldn't be Katsuragi if that creep wasn't immersing himself in some strange fictional world of fictional heroines. A small wistful smile crept up her face before she realized that and dug her face into her cup of Matcha tea that she had ordered for herself. After everything that's happened over the past few weeks, she longed for the past as she sneaked the occasional glance at Keima in class.

He was the Otamega, the most repulsive gaming freak that anybody who had ever laid their eyes upon. He would sit in his seat and do nothing but play his PFP from first thing in the morning to the end of the day. He would only ever get up for lunch where a few curious onlookers reported seeing him making his way to the school rooftop, probably to game in silence.

He never spoke to anybody if he could help it and if he was forced to, usually by a fresh faced teacher on their first few days, he would be sure to make a sly remark to put the teacher in their place, ironic as it may seem. Before long, most teachers would storm out of the room in a fit of rage before learning not to even deal with it anymore. After all, he was a perfect straight A student who didn't disrupt the class, it's not worth the effort.

To anybody else, Katsuragi's actions came off as less than endearing and before long, everyone just knew to avoid him. He was also the subject of ridicule anytime he did anything that deviated from his typical unapproachable behavior. Even _if _he wanted to clear his name and image, he had a steep uphill battle.

Chihiro shook her head in protest at the thought of Katsuragi suddenly wanting to get more popular, incidentally spilling some of her tea. She liked him for who he was, despite that on the outside, he's rude, insensitive, annoying, sleazy, arrogant, patronizing, inconsiderate, dishonest, untrustworthy, stubborn, tactless, and apparently a playboy to top it all off!

Yet, at the same time, there were times when he proved to be the opposite of all those negatives. Although her time with him was brief, he showed off a side of his that he had never revealed to her, even if it was faked, there was something inside of her that told her he was at least not completely dishonest.

Chihiro was emotionally confused. Did she still like Katsuragi or not? She was certain she did feel something for him, every time he looked her way, her heart would throb, and her face would start to feel hot.

However, she can't deny that what he did to her on the roof of the school on the fateful night of the Mai High Festival was soul crushing. Not a day has passed since then where she hasn't thought back to that moment.

Thinking back on it however, the day after, on the second day of the festival, things were not quite as they seemed. A strange air of tension seemed to envelope Katsuragi as he even forcibly dragged her around against her will.

After that previous night, acting like that was odd in of itself. What really lost her was what followed later into the day. The 'thing' inside Ayumi that Katsuragi was trying to extract, the desperation in which he tried to court her, and the girl in the blue hair donning a menacing scythe who supported this ridiculous activity.

Somehow, she even managed to go completely invisible like some sort of strange Sci-fi flick.

As Chihiro thought about it harder and harder, the more confused she got. Was all of this nonsense the reason he dumped her right then and there? The 'thing' he was seeking was not within her, so he had to jump ship and go for Ayumi?

So maybe he didn't dump her because he was trying to 'pull one on a real girl', but had a very real reason to do so?

But then, couldn't that mean that everything he had said and done for her all in an attempt just to extract this thing from her, and just didn't know she didn't possess it? Was she just a means to an end?

Contradicting herself yet again, Chihiro audibly groaned as he dug her nails into her hair, disforming her already unkempt hair.

It's seemed like forever since the both of them had sat down at the diner. Yet, not a word has been exchanged between the two of them! Katsuragi is the one in the wrong here, he's the one who ought to be explaining himself right about now!

* * *

'_This is an interrogation, not a date!' _Chihiro had to try and remind herself as she boldly reached over the table and clasped her hands over Keima's to try and grab his full attention. Locking eyes for a moment, they both blushed slightly, but at least they had each other's attention.

Keima, having quickly gotten over the brief moment of embarrassment, motioned with his hands towards one of the servers to refill their drinks.

"You want answers, for everything, don't you?" At long last, Keima had finally broken the endless Shiori-like silence between Chihiro and himself.

He knew this was going to happen. For Chihiro's safety, he had willingly dragged her into his business with demons and goddesses. Even if she didn't have the full picture, she knew enough to know that something was up and that he had the answers.

Chihiro stared deep into his eyes and nodded with a serious look. One that was forceful yet patient at the same time. By a simple glance, she could tell he was hesitant to respond as he bit his lip and gripped his coffee mug tightly.

She needed answers though, to put her heart at ease for the first time in weeks.

"Everything, Keima", she pleaded as she brought her face uncomfortably close to his own.

Keima took one last long moment of consideration before he broke hands with Chihiro and leaned back in his seat.

"I'll tell you everything from the beginning to the present, in full honesty, and nothing held back. However, I have three conditions you must accept and adhere to in doing so. If you cannot meet these conditions, we will be done here, and we can go about our normal lives. Are you prepared to hear the conditions out?"

Chihiro internally broke out in a cold sweat hearing Keima's curt proposition. Was she really ready to for him to spill everything?

Even if it hurt her more than she already was? No, she can't be scared. Even if it hurt her, even if he laughed and revealed it all to be some whacky reality prank show just meant to toy with her heart.

She had to find out, otherwise the question still lingering would never die out and the tight constriction surrounding her heart would keep getting tighter and tighter.

She slowly nodded at Keima, staring deep into his eyes and pressed him to continue on with the explanation of the conditions to be laid out.

* * *

"1.) I will not tell you anything until an unspecified time tomorrow during or after school."

"WHAT!?" Chihiro suddenly lashed out across the table grabbing his shirt collar in the process.

"How long are you going to hold out on this for!? Do you know how much I'm hurting inside with every passing day? You pretended to fall in love with me. You set up the mood, listened to me sing me heart out, led me to the rooftop, and then… and then you just abandoned me." She tightened her grip on Keima's shirt with tears starting to swell in her eyes.

"The nerve! Even after that, you came back to me and demanded that I help you chase another skirt?! My best friends at that! And now you just want me to sit around even longer. I don't know what to think anymore. I don't care if it might only be one more day, I don't know how much longer I can hold on like this before I just completely lose it!"

Chihiro was causing quite the commotion in the diner as all the other diners and even the servers holding trays of food and drink had stopped to look over at what appeared to be a lover's quarrel, which honestly wasn't too far off the mark.

Keima could only look at her apologetically, but wouldn't say a word, he just wanted her answer.

Her breathing had become ragged and her clenched fist had paled from her tightening grip. She suddenly released it, sitting back down with her covered her face with her hands.

"Fine, I'll manage one more day. _But_ you have to accept my own single condition as well, right now." She muttered under her breath.

"You have to answer this one question truthfully, none of your strange words games neither. Just like what you did for Ayumi back then."

Keima recoiled a slight bit. The one person who could throw him off his tempo wanted him to play by one of her own rules. There was too much information for her to digest. The demons, Elsie, the Runaway Spirit Squad, Haqua, the Goddesses, Vintage, Satyr, time travel, the many conquests he's performed, Kanon's stabbing, just to name a few.

He wasn't sure what she was going to ask, that's just how Chihiro is. Whatever it is though, it's was all very touchy and confidential subjects that he wasn't prepared to discuss with her just yet, hence why he proposed the condition he previously mentioned.

If it's for her sake though, he was just going to have to bite the bullet and answer the question. He hoped she was mentally prepared for whatever she was about to drag herself into as he sighed deeply and told her to hit him with the question.

Chihiro slowly lifted her hands from her face, revealing a watery mess from the stream of tears running down her face.

"Do you love me?" she asked softly, turning her face away as if expecting the worst from him.

Keima was shocked at what she asked and even more shocked as he realized that he was shocked by such a simple question he should have seen coming. Was this the effect of the real world finally seeming to worm its way into his heart?

It was the same question Ayumi had asked on the Akanemaru ship on the night he got 'married' to her. In fact, there were a lot of similarities between then and now. It was an incredibly intelligent play on Chihiro's part.

If he had to answer the same question in the same way he did for Ayumi, he had to answer truthfully instead of answer it in a way that benefitted one of his conquests.

When Ayumi presented the question, he did promise to answer truthfully which he did follow up on to which he denied his love for her, something that would normally be considered lethal to a conquest. However, as the _God of Conquest_, he was able to pull through anyway and reveal the final goddess.

This time was no difference as he answered Chihiro's pressing question.

"I love you." He confessed for the second time now; his eyes unwavering as he stared straight at her.

Chihiro shot up like a rocket and leaned over the table, her hands slamming down on the table causing the now refilled tea and coffee to shake and nearly spill over on the table.

"Again!" She shouted; her face was now just inches from his own.

"I love you." he repeated matter-of-factly.

Her eyes now glistened as she pressed Keima yet again to say it once again.

"Dammit, I've already said it enough, but I'll keep saying it if I really have to. I love you, Kosaka Chihiro!" He stood up also leaning over the table slightly to meet her own face.

Some cheering and some whistling could be heard in the background. The elderly people who had been there the whole time who were previously annoyed and insulted at their presence and strange antics were now ecstatic at the scene befalling their eyes.

The servers and waitresses bunched up as well, seemingly forgetting their jobs, as they squealed in delight.

Even one of the chefs in the background overheard the commotion and offered a thumbs up to Keima.

Keima and Chihiro looked over at everyone before realizing their close proximity and quickly forced each other away. In perfect unison, they both grew a large blush on their faces.

"Ahem." He coughed into his fist as he went to sit down. "Now that we have that out of the way, let's move to my second condition."

* * *

"2.) You are to maintain absolute secrecy with anything I tell you. Whether that be with complete strangers or even your best friend, Ayumi."

Although a little ticked off at him for calling Ayumi by her first name, after what she witnessed on the Akanemaru, she at least understood a little bit.

But that's only because she was elated for what happened just a moment a go!

It was also a bit disheartening to hear that she would have to hide things from her. She will accept this however, _unless_ he tries to pull another stunt like manipulating Ayumi's heart the way he did last time.

Chihiro nodded her head in response to his condition, to which he was relieved at the prospect that there was no drama behind this one.

* * *

"3.) You are _not_ to get involved with anything dangerous. In cases where there is a potential danger, you are not allowed to get involved with it. I can inform you of anything that happens, but I'm not letting you get physically involved in these situations. I do not care about your feelings in this matter. You can't sway me in this matter so don't even try."

'He must be referring to those masked people who were hunting them down during the festival.' Chihiro thought to herself as she remembered the "film club shoot" that was obviously not what he and the blue haired girl said it was.

Chihiro did not want to approve of him voluntarily putting himself in harm's way while all she did was watch. She started to retort in protest before Katsuragi stomped once and narrowed his eyes. He was not even going to hear her out on this one, huh?

Disapprovingly, she frowned, but accepted these terms.

"Although this is heavily one sided as usual, I suppose I'll accept your conditions."

A rare sight, but she actually could see Katsuragi's shoulders fall slightly as he let out a hefty sigh as if a great burden had been let off his shoulders.

Having been there for way longer than a normal couple as well as the burning eyes of many elderly couples piercing the back of the skull, both Chihiro and Keima decided that it was probably best to head out now.

Keima payed the bill for the two of them as they headed out the door.

Chihiro on the other hand, quickly ran back to give a more favorable tip to the waitress as Keima is way too stingy in these types of situations. She immaturely stuck out her tongue at him when he wasn't looking for being so rude.

* * *

They walked together on their way home. It was silent between the two of them, just like how it was when they first arrived at the diner earlier.

While Chihiro was deep in her thought, fixated on what Keima is going to reveal the next day, while Keima was being himself for the first time in a while.

By that of course, he finally managed to have a reasonable excuse to delve into his games again. He looked a bit awkward trying to manage a heavy box of consoles while playing his game, but of course he managed as always.

It was finally time for the part where the two of them see each other off at the fork in the road. Chihiro headed down her road waving good-bye, looking back at the awkward boy still fumbling around with his PFP.

She turned her head back away from him ready to head home as Katsuragi suddenly spoke up and surprised her with what he asked.

"Do you love me?" he asked suddenly looking at the ground in a bashful manner. He was so unexpectedly embarrassed; he even froze mid-button mash.

She turned her head back around to meet his face. This was completely out of left field, for someone so confident in himself, to see him asking for affirmation on something, especially when it comes down to the subject of love is just so uncharacteristic of him.

'He really had changed for the better, hadn't he?' Chihiro internally smiled. Although she liked his previous carefree attitude and unnatural confidence in himself, she was elated to see him open up a bit more. Not too much though!

Given everything that's happened however, despite knowing now that Keima truly did love her, there was a lot on her platter, emotionally speaking. She had too much to think about, and she was sure there was going to be more in the upcoming days. It was time for her to leave Keima waiting for her answer.

"I'll need time to think about it, so I'll throw a 'maybe' your way for now!" she gleamed back at him raising a 'V' with her fingers. Chihiro sprinted off into the distance not looking for the reaction from Keima.

It wasn't his preferred answer, but it was all he was going to get for now it seems.

Wait a minute? Was she really going to keep him waiting for her answer? No! The protagonist is the one who's supposed to do that to the Heroine! In games that is! Damn that Chihiro, did she discover his weakness when he's on the defensive?

He already had dealt with Yui always striking him on the offensive. Even if Yui gets switched out for Chihiro, he can't have her being the one dominating him in a relationship. If love is war, he was going to have to be the one who wins!

How could he call himself as _The God of Conquest_ otherwise?

Keima had finally returned home, sweating of course after carrying the heavy box all the way home. He could finally relax for the whole day. He had no more real-world obligations for now, nor the possibility for one unexpectedly creeping up on him for once.

He sat down in his favorite gaming chair in his room, ready to boot up all the consoles and begin his well-deserved break.

Unexpectedly though, he couldn't start up his consoles. No, nothing was broken, the power wasn't out, Elsie obviously didn't barge into his room about loose soul business, and there was no way in hell he just decided not to play his games for once!

What stopped Keima from playing were his own lingering questions. Was it really all over? It didn't feel right.

Yes, he was no longer a buddy of the Loose Souls team, there was no threat around himself or anyone he knew, and the world had turned back to normal again. Though he really needed to test that entering school grounds wouldn't bug out the real world again.

He still had a lot of questions regarding New Hell that had to be answered.

Keima looked over towards his desktop PC and open the desk drawer the monitor sat upon where inside laid the foundation to all his questions.

The now removed and ineffective purple choker that held him a captive of the real world for so long.

* * *

…

**Author notes:**

**Ok, a bit longer than I predicted, but that's a good thing, I guess. I planned on each chapter averaging roughly 3,000ish words (minus author notes) but this one managed to nearly be 1,000 extra words. It's a good start, especially since it focuses mostly on Chihiro, a character I wasn't confident I could right much about.**

**That being said, I'm not much of a writer normally if it wasn't obvious already. If you can tell that I don't have an established 'writing style' or you see some serious grammatical mistakes or run-ons, there's your reason. This is probably the first thing I've actually attempted in the past 5 years. So basically, my first fanfic since I left the other one.**

**Again with "that being said", my previous fanfic was called 'The real Ideal Heroine' back in 2014ish I think? This fanfic was originally based on the scraps of that story I abandoned but is looking more like a complete transformation from that. Though the general end of the two stories that I have planned lines up quite nicely. It's kind of like what I eluded to in the beginning notes that could basically be TLDR'd as "Same(ish) ending, different approach." That fanfic was originally a Keima/Elsie paring, but don't expect that for this fanfic.**

**I'm not sure how many chapters I can reach, especially if I'm dishing out 3-4k words per chapter, again, I'm not a great writer. My stretch goal is roughly 50-80 chapters, but we can only wait and see. Depends how much quality content I can fit in while still maintaining the main goal for this fanfic.**

**Yes, after 5 years, I confirm that the 'Real Ideal Heroine' is abandoned. Should have updated to say that a long time ago, but I (probably) still had hope that I could somehow revive it from the dead.**

**Rereading my previous fanfic recently, I couldn't even bear to read it fully as it was that poorly written. Hell, who knows though? Maybe after finishing this story, I will come back to read it in another few years just to struggle to comprehend how I could write something this bad.**

**I also had a TWGOK/SAO fanfic crossover called 'The World Kayaba Only Knows' around the same time, but that's cancelled as well for poor writing on my part and because I'm not really much into SAO anymore. Not jumping on the everlasting hate train for SAO though, I'm enjoying Alicization a fair bit and looking forward to the second part. Also, loving the abridged series still that is **_**still **_**going, even after what? 7 years?**

**But what I **_**am**_** into currently… **_**WATCH SYMPHOGEAR**_**. There, I've done my part. Criminally underrated series (except the first season) in the west with 5 seasons that just ended. Fairly high rated series (especially the final season), not 'yet another Isekai', beef stroganoff, great transformations (again, especially the final season), great music, great characters, great action (but "don't try to bring your logic into this" plot).**

**Sorry for the extremely long Author Notes section, especially here at the bottom, it shouldn't be **_**that **_**long normally, but it's the first chapter so I feel like I have a bunch to talk about.**

**R&R and all that stuff of course. **_**I seriously love reviews, please, please, leave reviews**_**. I just like reading opinions, criticism, questions, and whatever else you have to say! I'll try to reply when I can, either by PM or in the next Author's notes of course!**

**Anyway, on to the next stage!**


	2. Pending Investigation

TWGOK: Post Game Content

Chapter 2: Pending Investigation

…

**Author notes:**

**I should probably mention how long it takes between chapters. I'm a pretty busy person so expect 1-2 weeks between chapters. If fortune favors me though (don't expect it though), I might be able to make a new chapter in under a week, but only time will tell.**

**Also, I made a small mistake near the end last chapter. I added a tiny little extra skit about Chihiro paying a waitress an extra tip. I forgot tipping isn't really a thing in Japan, in some instances, it can even be seen as rude. It's not critical to the development of the story so I'll overlook it for now, but maybe I'll edit it out eventually since it's a single paragraph.**

**Thanks to xellos540 for being the first reviewer! I already replied to you, but I'd still like to thank you!**

**Thanks to DarkSoul208 as well! I couldn't technically reply to you until now since you didn't use an account to review so I guess I'll reply here. Thanks for the compliment! I was trying my best to match character personalities so I'm glad it's reflected in your review! Also, I'm happy to say your question will be answered soon enough!**

**Thanks to DarkSoulthe2nd also! I'm pretty sure you are the same person as DarkSoul208, but I didn't think to ask. I told you that I would have this chapter out a bit sooner that it actually did so sorry about that! Like I said last chapter, I hoped for my chapters to average 3k words. I broke that rule (again) and is around 5.5k words now, which at the time I responded, it was not.**

**R&R and all that good stuff! I have big plans for this series, I just hope I can bring them properly to fruition.**

* * *

Kemia stared intently at that purple choker that held a strangle on him since the beginning of this whole mess, well kind of at least. The whole time-travel fiasco knocked out any sort of reason from the timeline.

Also, inside the computer desk drawer was Elsie's choker. The one connected to his own to bind their two fates together.

With it removed from around their necks, there was no longer the possibility of execution via not following whatever arbitrary rules Hell never fully explained.

Relieved that eventual death sentence was out of the way, he lazily twirled the chokers around his finger as he stared up at the ceiling in thought.

Wanting to test something, he stopped twirling the chokers and squeezed the outside of the choker, putting extra care not to put his fingers inside the ring with all the might his weak gaming arms could muster.

Sure enough, just like when he innocently tried to remove the choker shortly after first encountering Elsie, it glowed a deep hot red.

It also heated up a bit, but not so hot that it would scald the hand. Even if he wasn't as laughably weak as he was, it was hard to imagine even with any great force, that the choker would decapitate someone.

It made Keima wonder if these chokers were nothing more than a thinly veiled threat imposed on its bearers to force compliance to those unwilling.

Of course, nobody would be willing to test Hell's might since who knows what voodoo magic is stored within these chokers, not with them around their necks that's for sure.

Disregarding the internal politics of Hell and whether or not they were willing to kill people and demons alike with their chokers, he had to assess _his_ situation.

He already knew that his arrangement with Hell was special and pre-orchestrated by Chief Dokurou, even if he had a large role in the decisions that she made in the past ten years.

The real question though is how much of it was planned out?

Was Dokurou able to see that he would hold his end of the bargain and wouldn't attempt to forcibly remove the collar?

Or was the collar specially altered not to actually kill Elsie and him if attempted?

* * *

Regardless of the situation, the collar is off so whatever threat lurked or not, it mattered not.

Though thinking about the collar did bring up a shocking revelation that made him shoot out of his chair holding the collar before his eyes.

Even though the collar had been removed, it hadn't been removed legitimately. Elsie had managed to cheat the system and remove it from the two of them.

Pushing the Elsie situation off to the side for the moment as she was an entire topic in of itself, he hadn't even thought about the circumstances surrounding the contract that put him in the situation.

He had been led to believe since the start that his mission was to go out and capture all of the loose souls in Majima City.

The situation has changed, he knows that his mission far surpasses in importance of what was initially expected of him, that much is obvious.

However, Dokurou has planned the majority of what has occurred over the course of the ten years and she was formerly the head chief of the Loose Souls Team.

Knowing that, does that mean the clear condition for finishing the contract he was unwittingly dragged into is different from the other 'buddies' of the Loose Souls Team?

He pulled out his PFP and scrolled through his emails to find the one that served as his contract to Hell.

He never really thought to look it over that hard, as he was led to believe through his interactions with Elsie and Haqua that the goal of everybody bound to a contract is to capture all the loose souls.

There was the email he was looking for after a minute or so of scrolling.

* * *

_**To the God of Conquest**_

_I have heard rumors that you can conquer any girl that you want. That is quite unbelievable, but if it is true, then there is a girl that I would like you to conquer. If you are confident that you can do it, press the "reply" button._

_**REPLY**_

_P.S. If it is impossible, don't ever press the button!_

_Dokurou Skull_

* * *

Analyzing the fine print of the contract, something became very apparent to him.

Nowhere inside did it say that he had to go around capturing loose souls from the hearts of girls, no matter how you can interpret it!

Even if Elsie didn't know, of all people, she was the one to fool him telling him that it was his mission to capture all the Loose Souls in Majima City!

The _Capturing God_ to be played like a fiddle by the likes of her. What a disgrace!

He may have been contracted to capture loose souls, to reveal the goddesses, and to correct the future, but how does he finish the contract officially?

What is the contract hiding in the fine print? Is it even trying to hide anything at all or is he looking at it too hard?

He had been going off the common trope in games that contracts with Hell always played word games with the reader to hide the true intention of the contract.

However, the contract has too little text to spin its meaning!

So, if he's to go off the literal meaning, is that the true fulfillment condition of the contract?

'_there is a girl that I would like you to conquer'._

Who is that girl then?

It couldn't have been Ayumi during her initial conquest obviously as she was successfully conquered but the contract wasn't fulfilled.

Could it be one of the Goddesses and their hosts? Dokurou? Elsie? Chihiro? Haqua? Akari?

He was simply listing off some of the more important names he had come into contact with over the course of this ridiculous plot.

Unlike before with the with the potential identity of the hosts of the goddesses, he had no idea where to start. For all he knows, it could even be another conquest target as well or someone completely unrelated at this point.

Of the more important names, he has his doubts about anyone being the one he has to conquer.

The goddesses and their hosts are all of equal importance, therefore the chance that anyone of them standing out as the one to be conquered is too slim.

Dokurou is technically the best candidate as she was a key figure in securing the future when he was stuck in the past, but he had already conquered her back even before the contract was even in play.

Elsie would also be a good candidate as she is the only important character who wasn't a conquest target in any way and is the greatest mystery in his story. However, he can't conquer her as she has already gone down the 'sister' route.

Chihiro's a name that he feels obligated to include as she's the one most important to him.

His doubt for her as a candidate though stems from the fact that he has conquered her and is in an active relationship with, kind of at least, so there's probably no need to re-conquer her yet again.

Haqua's also another name he threw into the pool. She has been extremely helpful as an extra demon 'buddy' and a source of information, but he couldn't see her importance in the grand scheme of things.

Akari is one of his conquest targets. She is the only one who he had attempted to conquer, but never fully accomplished.

Her role in his life is still a mystery to him even today. It is clear to him that she never did have a loose soul in the first place as she eventually revealed herself to him as a member of the Loose Souls Team.

In spite of her unknown background, he held doubts similar to those he crossed out as potential goddess hosts. That being that Akari's encounter rate is too low.

Keima's head spun in confusion. If none of the girls stand out as the best candidate, how could he find out who this girl Dokurou wanted him to conquer?

* * *

Once again looking over the collar, twisting it around, making to carefully look it over.

"It's not over." he muttered to himself, now out of his chair pacing around the room.

Despite being removed, the contract was still in play. Otherwise, the choker would have broken off or disappeared, at least, that would make the most logical sense.

He still had a mission that he was expected to perform, even if he didn't _have_ to do it.

He's seen this scenario before, in games of course. Some games allow you to track your completion rate, indicated by the amount of 'events' you've experienced over the course of multiple playthroughs.

By tracking the completion rate, it becomes apparent when you've missed or haven't experienced certain events yet.

The real world being the shitty game as always, sorely lacks in many critical game design features. There's no way to track your completion rate at all!

What percentage was he at? If it wasn't 100%, he wouldn't have these burning questions in the back of his head.

Where did these missing events lie? Did he miss some critical information in the beginning, the end, or somewhere in between?

If he missed events in the beginning or in between, that was perfectly acceptable. Some of these events can lead you down the wrong route and right into a bad end.

In the real world, there is no 'load' function, so wandering down the wrong route would have been a one-way road.

If these missing events lay in the end, things could be problematic.

Most games have it set so these events are listed chronologically, so you know where in the story of the game that these events occur.

If he's to place the most recent completed 'event' of this nonsensical real-world plot, he would have to list it at the end as 'Returned to the future.'.

That should have been the end of the listed events, but now he is starting to see the potential for 'hidden events' listed after.

A hidden route so to speak.

Would this hidden route simply be bonus content that served as nothing but as a cherry on top to those to go the extra mile?

Or would it lead him down a much more expansive path to reveal some sort of secret ending?

Still referring to his games as an example of course, if he had to list what ending he got, it would be Normal Ending-Chihiro.

However! A normal ending is not the best ending, nor does it always mean that it is actually the end. The only ending worth obtaining is the true ending.

Well in his case, it would be True Ending-Chihiro.

Sometimes a true ending is not obtainable through obvious methods, often requiring specific flags to be triggered. Some of which might only be found down a secret route.

Some of these flags are often hidden in obscure locations, hidden by dumb mechanics such as choosing a certain location at a specific time on certain calendar dates and clicking a very specific item within the scene.

Although difficult and annoying to try and find, he is the _Capturing God_, he will go through Hell itself to capture a heroine!

The problem he's facing though is that has he actually obtained all the necessary flags and triggered the specific events needed to reach the secret route?

It's no secret that he wasn't too thrilled to go around capturing loose souls when he could have been playing his games instead.

Did he miss out on some necessary flags? Could he even go back and find them, or are they time restricted? If so, it could already be too late, and he would be stuck with a normal ending.

However, there is no point in wallowing in despair over something he isn't even certain of!

He needed to know as a bottomless sensation of curiosity filled every part of his mind.

* * *

Keima collected his thoughts and made a silent, bold declaration to himself. He is going to look into the questions that had been bugging him.

He had already been on the fence whether he is going to go through with this investigation or not, but the mystery surrounding the details of his contract are too important to ignore.

Plus, once again, a true ending is the only ending worth obtaining.

_He's going to launch his own investigation._

He made this decision on his own accord.

Even if there is no true need for him to do. For all he knows, his little investigation could hit a dead end and he would be trapped in the normal end, effort gone to waste. He might get ensnared in another Hellish plot for all he knows.

Yet, he couldn't just ignore this desire to know.

Keima, still holding his PFP in his hands, switched over to a word document where he was going to take down his notes.

This would serve as his task list of sorts, one where he could write down his pressing questions and cross them off as they are answered.

It would also serve as a place to write down any extra notes or comments he needed to make that would be critical to the investigation.

First of course, he had to go think back to where his questions originated so he could put it into words.

The first question of course is the one that serves as the foundation for all his questions.

While some are not particularly connected to the question, they are likely a key element in solving this question.

This question is the one he has been thinking about since earlier.

'What are the clear requirements for this contract?'

Dokurou had expected something of his since the beginning of the contract that he still hasn't accomplished.

Although some contextual clues in the contract lightened the burden of figuring this question out, he still didn't know _who_ needed to be conquered.

There is also a big problem with this question, a caveat to undertaking this investigation.

_~There can't be any more conquests~_

This isn't something that is technically impossible, however this is an obligation that not the _Capturing God_, but Keima Katsuragi has to keep.

_~For Chihiro's sake~_

Even if he feels nothing romantically for this conquest target that he supposedly must conquer, he can't betray Chihiro; not again.

He isn't technically in a relationship with her, it was more like, as embarrassing as it is to admit, 'complicated'.

Again though, he did harbor feelings for her. So even if there is no official relationship, he wants to act accordingly as if he is in one.

This caveat to his investigation is going to rear its ugly head eventually of course, as the clear requirements for this contract specifically require him to conquer a girl.

But! There is always an alternative route! Some sort of flag or event must exist that allows him to reach his goal in another manner!

Hell may be strict on its contracts, but it is a contract.

Just like the programming inside of a video game or any other software application, there is always some sort of loophole to be exploited.

It may be a nearly impossible task, but there is no way that he's going to back down!

The questions to follow would serve as potential flags he could trigger by answering them.

Solving them would not only satisfy his unquenchable thirst to achieve a '100% completion rate', but also to help solve that question that he will refer to as the 'foundation question'.

Keima looked back in his memory to start formulating some questions.

* * *

To start, things started going awry with the goddess fiasco week. A lot of events that occurred then were not fully followed up or realized in the first place.

Why did Majima High's emblem resemble the goddesses so closely?

Six sides for 6 goddesses. Gramps Shiratori is old, but not so old that he formed the school himself.

Gramps descended from the family that built up the school, but as far as Keima is aware, the only connection to hell is Gramp's obsession with the devils.

How did he even know of the devils? His daughter was possessed by a loose soul and drove her to murder and her own death.

The thing is though, while his daughter suddenly becoming a murderous monster when she was originally a 'kind and gentle' woman is unusual, it isn't outside the boundaries of reality.

People can't see the incorporeal bodies that make up a loose soul without being associated with Hell.

So how was Gramp's able to determine that it was the work of devils?

Keima is not a person of superstitious coincidences. He is not going to pretend that Gramp's started blaming the devils in a fit of insanity and just happened to technically be correct.

How connected is the Shiratori household to Hellish affairs? Or what about the goddesses as evidenced by the Majima High emblem?

Another thing about the emblem, who is the goddess in the center? By the looks of things, it appears that it's Demeter, the goddess of Harvest and Fertility.

Does she exist? If so, why haven't the other Jupiter Sisters ever mentioned her? Is she possessing a girl like the others did?

If not, why is she included on the school emblem that is otherwise accurate with the Jupiter Sisters?

Speaking of the goddesses, what is their role in all this?

At first, he was convinced that his encounter with Diana was a massive shortcut to capturing all the loose souls as she and the other goddesses were the ones who initially sealed the loose souls away.

In order to do this and to save Kanon, he had to revive the goddesses power through love.

Problem with his plan to have the goddesses re-seal the loose souls was Vintage, as they planned to use their cultivated loose souls to lay waste on the human world and create a new hell. Technically speaking, a new New Hell.

Sidetracked slightly, Keima remembered something about that Vintage plan that he remembered questioning before.

Previously, Elsie and Haqua insisted that Loose Souls planned their return through the gaps in girls' hearts.

By feeding on their negativity born as a result, they could grow in power where they would then be reincarnated as the child of the girl. That would be the reason why loose souls targeted girls only.

When Elsie and he had secretly infiltrated Point Rock just before the school festival, Vintage's actions directly conflicted with that assumption.

Somehow, Vintage was raising loose souls artificially. Is there a purpose to that? Wouldn't it be easier to let them grow naturally through a girl's heart?

It should be obvious to Vintage that the capture rate for the Loose Souls Team is absurdly low, partially due to their own efforts as well of course.

With such a low capture rate, they have the perfect breeding ground for their plans and it's much easier to hide than putting all their eggs in one basket like with what they did at Point Rock.

Especially with how weak security was there. Elsie and he just happened to stumble across Vintage's hideout and there were no security measures to stop or detect them.

Speaking about low capture rates, he had seen how quick a loose soul can develop. In a strange twist of fate, he was possessed by a loose soul by switching bodies with Yui during her initial conquest.

That feeling of unease, the sweet languish. It was a great burden.

If he hadn't known it was a loose soul and resisted as hard as he did, it would have been easy to fall to the power of the loose soul.

Yui is a strong enough girl as it is. With such a low capture rate, in the 10 years since the great loose soul escape, how has the Loose Souls Team managed to keep status quo?

Back to the goddesses though, getting back on track with what he was originally thinking about.

After destroying Vintage at Point Rock and resealing the loose souls there, the goddesses used a fair bit of their power to do so.

They also used an even greater amount of their power to send him back in time to fix the future as well to return him to the present.

How much power do the goddesses have left? Since they are empowered through love, and they just spent a great deal of it, do they even have the power to re-seal the rest of the loose souls in the world?

Using their power must have left them drained of power, and if love is their main source of that power, they are now out of luck.

He had been able to power up the goddesses through love by tackling them one by one.

Now that his little harem has been exposed, even if he wanted to repower them up, it would be a complete slog to accomplish.

The ultimatum though of course is that he has officially 'chosen' a girl, that girl being Chihiro.

Having declared that immediately after returning to the present, he had closed all opportunities with the other goddess hosts.

It should now be impossible to raise the love points of the hosts. There may be lingering feelings, especially with Kanon, but overtime those points will slowly dissipate.

There won't even be any strange advancements like with Yui neither as they are aware of the relationship with Chihiro.

The only way to raise the goddesses' powers is through love and without his love, the girls would have to fall in love with somebody else.

Although he never particularly paid attention to how other guys tried to pick up girls, there were times when no matter how hard he tried to block out the real world, he could hear them flirting with girls in class.

By god, they were _awful_.

If anything is obvious, if there was a fated relationship between one of the goddess hosts and another guy, it would take an entire trilogy of dating sims to reach a point where the guy could even reach a simple 'walking home together' event.

With girls like Ayumi, he could see a relationship taking place a little quicker due to her popularity.

But for girls like Tsukiyo or Shiori who were quiet and reserved, any sort of relationship progress for the average guy would take years at least.

In short, the goddess powers aren't going to return, not for years at least since all of them probably need to be at full power to re-seal the loose souls.

The power to reseal the loose souls is their main priority as far as he is aware, to keep the balance of the three realms: the human world, Hell, and Heaven.

If they can't complete their objectives, does that mean Vintage has won? The goddesses are essentially the only practical way to re-seal the loose souls.

No, Vintage is destroyed. Dokurou Skull from Hell told him that Vintage is nothing more than a fanatical group used as henchmen by another much more formidable power behind the shadows.

Vintage was the fall guy for this group.

* * *

_Satyr_

He heard that name from Dokurou Skull when he used the communication device back when he was stuck in the past.

Satyr is the name of the shadow organization responsible for all the 'evil deeds' that transpire in Hell.

They have few members, comprised of highly influential devils of distinguished families with roots as far back as old hell.

They possessed heavy political power and were considered by Dokurou Skull to be the "greatest threat to New Hell".

They're basically the Illuminati of New Hell, to compare.

Despite their heavy influential power in Hell, there are those in power who oppose them of course. Dokurou Skull for one did, as well as another girl that Keima has questions about.

Akari. He mentioned her earlier as one of the potential people he needs to conquer to officially end his contract with Hell.

She is the only conquest target he never succeeding in finishing.

He had a tough time gauging her progress with her before she one day mysteriously disappeared out of nowhere.

Later, she revealed herself to him as a member of the Loose Souls Team, and a fairly important one at that too, commandeering a squad of Public Safety Department forces to battle Vintage and their corrupt PSD forces.

So similar to the goddesses, what is Akari's role in all of this? Why did she pretend to be a victim of a loose soul? Why did she disappear randomly that time? What is she fighting for?

Was she out to fight Vintage primarily, or does she know about Satyr? Does she know their true intentions?

If Satyr operates Vintage from the background, that means they're goals are similar. The general methods to accomplish their goals at least.

Dokurou Skull also told him something else that day he communicated with her in the past. That Satyr is planning to use the goddesses.

But for what? She was right, the goddesses were captured after Haqua's celestial robe was stolen and her logs were investigated to eventually reveal the goddess locations to Vintage.

With the goddesses captured, if Satyr wanted Vintage to wreak havoc on the human world, killing the host of the goddesses would have been the natural choice.

What plans did Satyr have that used the power of the goddesses? How could they even harness that power?

If Satyr planned on using the goddesses, that means that everything had been planned out from the beginning.

Has he and Dokorou been playing into their hand this whole time? If they had planned out everything down to the last detail, including even the resurrection of the goddesses and their powers, how could he tell if his plans ever deviated from their puppeteering?

Now, onto the biggest questions at hand, a topic he had eluded to earlier in his thinking. The ones related to the one closest to him.

* * *

_What the hell is Elsie?_

The foundation question acted as the table upon which all his other questions laid upon, the puzzle pieces to be exact. Elsie is the one who serves to connect all the pieces together.

This is only merely speculation of course. Although he loathed to admit it, he is only going off his gut feeling on this one. He really doesn't like operating off anything other than logic.

But there is no other option for him as he really had no idea what happened that night he was supposed to return to the present.

He had previously not thought much about her. He always felt that her involvement merely stemmed from bad luck.

He thought she was only his demon 'buddy' because he merely told Dokurou Skull that she is his partner to connect the timelines.

It seems though that Elsie may have a greater part in all of this than anyone else, including the goddesses.

It didn't make sense that she was a part of the prestigious Loose Souls Team.

Even if the Loose Souls Team was overwhelmed after the great loose soul escape and lowered the bar for entry, it still didn't make any sense that she fulfilled the requirements to join.

He like to tease Elsie that she's stupid. He knows deep down that she isn't actually stupid, but she definitely isn't a genius.

She's too carefree and absentminded for it though.

Also, she mentioned to him in that strange rift in reality that she was the 'last boss'. A weapon 'summoned' by 'bad guys'.

She had been summoned many times too apparently, but when did that happen and how many times had it occurred? And for what purpose? How do you even manage to 'summon' Elsie and activate her as this supposed weapon?

Did the 'bad guys' she mentioned refer to Satyr? Did Satyr have plans to use Elsie somehow?

And to hide her, Dokurou Skull had to reincarnate her? What does that mean in this context? How does Satyr know that Elsie is still around even after being hidden away?

Just how powerful is Elsie? She somehow managed to stop time single handedly, phased the contract chokers through their necks to remove them, and modified time and space to force her way into his family as his biological sister.

By no means is that normal in any context. He wasn't sure if even at full power that the goddesses could even pull off such a task. But Elsie managed to do it remarkably easy, despite her complaints that it was difficult.

Now that he has reached 'Elsie's ending' and the world has returned to normal, does she even still have any of that power or did she lose it all?

Keima's pinched his forehead as a migraine began to form. Out of all his questions, his questions surrounding Elsie are the most perplexing.

Elsie's claims were out of nowhere and completely unexpected. There were no signs of it beforehand.

While he could take some potshot guesses based on some sort of loose logical reasoning for his other questions, he had no idea whatsoever about anything related to Elsie.

For such a simplistic girl, she sure pulled out quite the complicated background.

However, there is no question he isn't willing to tackle.

* * *

Keima, having now collected his thoughts, started to write down the questions he is going to investigate.

_**Foundation Question**_

_What is the clear requirement for the contract with Hell?_

_Who is the girl who needs to be conquered?_

_**Standard Questions**_

_Is there a Demeter goddess?_

_Is there a connection between the Shiratori family, Hell, and Heaven?_

_Who comprises Satyr and what is their end goal?_

_Why does Satyr need the revived goddesses?_

_Is Satyr still active even after their plans are foiled?_

_Has Satyr's plans even been ruined at all?_

_How/why did Vintage/Satyr artificially mature loose souls?_

_How does the Loose Souls Team maintain status quo despite their low capture rate?_

_Who is Akari and how does she fit into everything?_

_**Elsie Questions**_

_What the hell is Elsie?_

_Why did Satyr need Elsie?_

_How did Elsie join the Loose Souls Team?_

_How is Elsie the 'last boss'?_

_How many times has Elsie been summoned and for what purposes?_

_How do you summon Elsie and activate her as a 'weapon'?_

_What did Elsie mean when she said she was 'reincarnated'?_

_Is Satyr still pursuing Elsie?_

_How powerful is Elsie?_

_Is Elsie still capable of using her powers?_

_What is the source of Elsie's powers?_

Even after abridging his questions for simplicity sake, it is still quite the behemoth of a list he must tackle.

Just what is he throwing himself into?

On top of all that, he's sure as he gets around to discovering answers, more would pop up overtime, meaning this list is not going to be an easy static 'to-do' list.

It's like trying to fix bugs in a game. Fix one and suddenly a hundred more appear.

Whatever the case, he now at least had a physical guide to work off. He could finally start working at chipping at his questions.

He looked up toward the clock on his PFP. He had spent all day in his own thoughts, even missing out on dinner.

He probably accidentally ignored his mother's call down for the food and Elsie's insistent door knocking as well.

It was already close to midnight. He saved his list and shut off his PFP.

He is no stranger to late-nighters, staying up as late as possible to squeeze out all the possible time he humanly could muster to play his dating sims.

Tomorrow though is school and while school is a normal, a certain event he had been dreading is about to commence. It is one that has been inevitable since the goddesses were revived. He needed the sleep to mentally prepare himself for the coming hell.

…

**Author notes:**

**Wow, another incredibly long chapter (for me at least). It was surprising for me to write such a long chapter where the only character involved is Keima. There was no dialogue between characters whatsoever. I hope that it came out alright since it was pretty difficult to write, despite still being able to write an extra 2k words than I said I was trying to average around. Funny thing too, I originally planned what was included in this chapter to only be half the chapter with the next chapter being the second half.**

**I'm glad though because I was able to write so much that I couldn't condense it in one chapter. The only unfortunate effect it has is that I had a clever name for the chapter if I did write the chapter as originally intended.**

**Don't forget though that even though that the questions in the chapter were formulated by _Keima_, so even though he asked some questions that we all know the answer to (kind of), they are _his_ questions because _he _doesn't know the answer to them!**

**Also, I'm thinking of including a cover picture for the fanfic, just to make it seem more appealing to the eye, but I don't really know what I would use as a picture yet.**

**Anyway, I'm excited to get working on the next chapter where I finally expand the character cast beyond just Keima and Chihiro! I'm sure that there will be some who will be happy about that.**

**R&R and all that good stuff! I'm loving your reviews!**

**Anyway, on to the next stage!**


	3. Interrogations part I

TWGOK: Post Game Content

Chapter 3: Interrogations part I

…

**Author notes:**

**Sorry this chapter is over a week late. Busy person and this chapter dragged on a lot further than anticipated. I had to split this chapter into two because of how long it is. So, the next chapter should come in within the next 7 days. I'll shut up about my '3k word preference' for now since I'm clearly not sticking to that. So, for now, chapters are going to be as long as I can reasonably make them.**

**DarkSoulthe2nd & xellos540: I obviously have already replied to the both of you, but I still want to thank you for once again for your wonderful reviews and comments as they brighten my day and motivate me to do write better!**

**Nothing much left to say now other than R&R of course!**

* * *

The sun is bright. It's a sign of the dawn of a new day. To many, the rising sun is the gateway to a bright and happy day.

To someone like Keima though, who often spends their days in solitude playing games, the sun is nothing more than something to wake up to before promptly closing the curtains.

Today though is different. He has a long day ahead of himself and if he doesn't want to suffer more than he already is expecting he'll have to; he might as well wake up early and get a head start.

He grabbed his Majima High uniform to get ready for school. He made sure to take another glance at that emblem on the uniform.

That's right, he had proclaimed to himself that he's going to investigate everything that's happened up until now.

All those burning questions left unanswered.

He really is giving himself too much work. Couldn't he have waited until after today of all days?

No, today is the perfect day to start investigating. Today is going to be an encounter rich day where he could hopefully answer some of those questions with little effort.

He headed downstairs for breakfast. He hadn't noticed it the other day, but given how much more relaxed it is now, he hadn't realized the effects of being stuck in a child's body for an extended period of time had on him.

It felt like he is walking on stilts. This combined with him trying to walk downstairs with his eyes glued to his PFP naturally caused him to trip down the stairs a land with a large thud.

The door down the hallway creaked open as a familiar face poked out from the side of the door.

"Nii-sama?" Elsie rushed over to make sure he wasn't injured too bad before helping him stand back up.

Elucia De Lute Ima. Elsie Katsuragi. Eri Katsuragi. Or whatever the hell she's going by these days.

This is the demon girl who had been assigned to him as his demon 'buddy' to supposedly hunt down loose souls together with.

At first, she was a woefully incompetent and immature girl with little to offer in terms of support for his conquests.

Outside of simple tasks he gave her that wouldn't be possible without the celestial robe, she was often left floundering around outside of any of his plans.

In short, she was a useless buddy.

However, over the past few weeks, she had showing clear signs of improvement. Her critical thinking skills and proficiency with the celestial robe has drastically greatened.

During his little blast to the past, she had managed to fool Vintage multiple times with her celestial dolls and even managed to confine one equipped with an assault rifle.

Yes, Vintage was stuck using 10 year outdated hellish technology, so they were at a disadvantage, but they were still members of an evil organization and proved to be competent in combat training.

If there is one thing that he could commend Elsie on, it's her determination. He didn't pay enough attention to it, but he is sure that she puts a lot of practice in behind the scenes, even if she does get easily sidetracked.

"Nii-sama?" Elsie repeated herself, waving her hand over his face multiple times before he came back to reality.

"You want some breakfast? I whipped up something special again!" Finally getting his attention, Elsie dragged him against his will into the kitchen.

Elsie had seemingly ended her ties with the loose souls' team completely. This could be evidenced by her apparel. She no longer wore the standard loose soul detector skull pin on her head.

Previously, you wouldn't catch her dead without that device. The only time it was ever taken off normally was when sleeping, bathing, or swimming.

In its place now is a small yellow smiley face pin complemented by a thin, white headband over her hair.

Her hair had now changed style, from a long ponytail with a hair clip supporting it to a more natural style that let her hair flow freer.

The greatest change however is probably her standard attire. She no longer seems to be wearing her violet kimono she brought from Hell. Now she's been wearing a more 'normal' outfit for someone in this day and age.

It doesn't seem like she's quite settled on a new appearance, because she's mostly been wearing her school dress shirt and skirt with a green overshirt.

Though obviously with school being soon, she is currently wearing her Majima High uniform, the only part of her that really hasn't changed.

It's apparent that this sudden wardrobe change is a result of her attempt to distance herself from Hellish affairs, a great relief to him that's for sure.

"Today we have three-headed serpent scale pancakes, Hell-fire roasted Erimakitoseka eggs, with a side of charred Madobou bacon!" Elsie exclaimed as if he would be excited to eat such a 'creative' meal.

Yet, here she is still cooking these atrocities from Hell. Old habits die hard. Well, if she can no longer go to Hell, maybe that means that eventually whatever stockade of hellish ingredients would dry up soon.

"The only time anybody would consider eating something with that naming convention would be Halloween." He slowly pushed away the meal with his index finger.

He had to take special precautions to make sure he didn't accidentally touch any part of the meal, especially the pancakes as they slithered around on the plate.

Elsie puffed out her cheeks in disappointment as Mari made her way downstairs.

* * *

Mari saw Keima and Elsie sitting at the table and her eyes swelled with tears of joy. To see her son and daughter waiting for her to eat with them before heading off for school made her feel accomplished as a mother.

Eri is as close to a perfect daughter as one can get, but Keima on the other hand, is a bit of a problem child to put it lightly. He's often reluctant to take a break from his games, even first thing in the morning.

She sees no problem with him as he is studious, polite (when needed), and doesn't cause problems for others.

He doesn't know it himself it seems, but she could see the warm and gentle side to him only a mother could know of! If he wasn't so obsessive over those damned games, he could be a real popular guy!

So, to see him without a PFP and Eri sitting together for a normal breakfast in the morning made her heart skip a beat.

And Eri making her mother breakfast for her is just the icing on the cake!

She happily sat down in an empty seat and dug into the meal made for her.

"Y-you realize what you're eating, right?" Keima groaned as he watched his mother gulf down a meal from Hell without hesitation.

"Keima, eat your sister's breakfast. It's an overseas recipe from England when Eri studied abroad. You shouldn't be afraid to expand your food palate." Mari disapprovingly crossed her arms.

"Have you ever looked at recipes from England?" He pointed at the moving pancakes.

For a café owner like her who makes English treats and beverages daily, she shouldn't be taking Elsie's recipes for her own.

The thought of others unwittingly scarfing down anything from Hell is a fate he didn't wish upon anybody.

Speaking of which, a little alarm went off on the Mari's phone. That's the cue for her to start prepping the café for opening in a few hours.

Usually the café is closed on Tuesdays but today Mari had decided to open shop anyways. It's probably a burst of motivation after hearing Keiichi would soon be returning home.

It's also a cue for him and Elsie to head out for school as well.

Elsie had just headed out the door, Keima in tow, when Mari had stopped dead in her tracks.

She reached to the back of her head, slowly letting her hair down, then pushing her glasses to her face silently. This is known as an impending disaster.

"Keimaaaaaa…" she growled, making sure to drag on his name.

He hoped this wouldn't happen, that Mari would forget about his foolish mistake the other day. That wouldn't be like her though so of course she remembers.

Every hair on Keima's body stuck up as he slowly turned his head back around into the house to meet Mari.

She is pissed off as indicated by the deadly aura around her and her shaking fist clenched up.

"I heard you skipped school the other day, care to explain yourself?" She muttered, the aura growing with every passing moment.

No way is she letting him off the hook for this one. He may be a studious student with perfect grades but skipping school for what she probably assumes is related to his games isn't going to boil over with her.

If he wants to keep his life though, he has to spill the truth to her.

"I confessed my love for a girl the other day and went out on a date with her." He responded devoid of emotion.

He promptly slammed the door shut and speedran to Elsie who is waiting by the gate for him, so to not overstay his welcome after dropping the bombshell.

It's the best option for him for that scenario. She knows that he's always been an extremely anti-social person, willingly too. By announcing he went out on a date with a girl, he has killed two birds with one stone.

He gave a reasonable excuse for skipping school. Not only did he give the truth more or less, but she is likely not to punish him for the sole reason that she is probably over the moon in delight that he son has cracked out of his bubble, not to mention might be in a relationship!

Also, he made sure to be as vague as possible. It is still him after all, she knows his position as the _God of Conquest_, the one who has claimed the hearts of tens of thousands of game heroines!

By not saying who it is or whether she is real or not, he has effectively planted a seed of doubt in her mind whether he is going out with a real girl or not.

He can buy time before the curiosity gets the best of her at least. It's not ideal as he isn't quite prepared for Mari to know about Chihiro and him, not until the both of them sort out their feelings.

However, if he tried to get away with a different excuse, Mari in her 'strict mode' would have surely done horrible things to him.

She always supported his strange dating sim habit since the beginning but doing something as heinous as skipping school would likely have temporarily halted her generosity.

If she took away his consoles, what would he do? He can't hide away that many oversized consoles like he could with his PFPs at school.

Some games are exclusive to those consoles and losing access to them would dethrone his position as the _God of Conquest_, reputation wise that is.

Her willingness to accept his strange behavior is his lifeblood, one that he can't lose even for a moment!

* * *

With that out of the way for now, after meeting up with Elsie at the front gate, they proceeded down on their journey to school.

"Ehh?" Elsie looked around surprised. "Is Tenri not going to walk with us today?"

"Of course not, you brain-dead demon. She doesn't even go to our school." He sighed as Elsie let out a big "oohhhh" as she was reminded of that fact.

"Well, we should see her soon enough anyway." He groaned as he pulled out his PFP.

It is finally time to truly get to tackling the investigation. The best way to do so is by grabbing the bull by the horns to speak. If he had questions, why not just ask the ones he had questions about?

"I've posed this question before to you Elsie, but what are you exactly?"

"Eh? Im your prized little sister, don't you remember Nii-Sama?" Elsie giggled at the end.

"No, I mean before that. Stopping time, altering time and space. How did you manage to pull off impossible acts like those? There's no way a normal demon could pull that off."

"Good question! I have no idea!"

Giggling again, her eyes averting his own for a brief moment.

Jeez? Who do she take him for? She should know by now that he can read the actions of any girl effortlessly.

"Elsie…" His patience started to wear down.

"I was the 'last boss' Nii-Sama! Through your hard work, you've saved all the heroines and finished the game as you would say! Yay!"

Elsie threw up her hands in the air dramatically in a show of celebration.

"Quit dodging the subject, I didn't ask about that. I already knew that you were this supposed 'last boss', the real question is if you have another boss phase?"

Elsie tilted her head in visible confusion as she obviously had no clue what he meant by boss phases.

"Allow me to explain" He pushed up his glasses.

"In games, sometimes there are multiple boss phases. Sometimes, these occur one after another.

Other times, they occur over the course of a game or series in what could be called a re-fight boss battle.

So long as the new fight retains the spirit of the original battle while still adding new elements upon that, it can still be called another boss phase, even if it didn't occur directly after the previous phase.

I acknowledge you as the 'last boss', but I refuse to believe that was the end of you as a boss.

Your boss battle or whatever you want to call it depending on the game genre was practically non-existent, leading me to believe that there is another phase."

Nope, Elsie is still confused on the terminology. However, she does seem to get the big picture.

"So, what you're saying is that there is more to me than let on, right?" Elsie stopped walking beside him.

"Precisely. It's my intention to figure this all out and reach a more conclusive ending. I won't allow my pride as a gamer be trampl- ".

Keima noticed that Elsie is no longer walking beside him, instead she had stopped in her tracks a few feet behind him.

"Well don't. You've already reached the ending. There's no more to explore. It's all over, there's no reason to get involved with Hell anymore." Elsie stated clearly upset, her hand clenching her school blazer tightly and her face unreadable.

What the hell is with her sudden tone change? This isn't like Elsie at all. She has always been supportive of his decisions and actions no matter what, so what's with the sudden break in character?

"Wait? What do you mean by that?" He backed up to Elsie to give a more direct confrontation before she suddenly burst off ahead of him.

After she managed to gain some ground on him, she looked back over at him over her shoulders.

"My name is Eri Katsuragi now, don't forget that Nii-Sama."

Elsie stated that with such an emotionless expression and frankly, it's unnerving for him.

She had now disappeared out of his vision where she has presumably run off to school without him.

What was that all about?

If there's one thing he could take from that event, it's that warning sirens are going off all around him. Oh, there's definitely something up with her.

But why is she refusing to cooperate with him? He can't think of a single moment where Elsie hadn't cooperated with him when offered. Doesn't she trust him?

She's hiding something from him, and it has to be a massive flag in that case. Just how severe is it if even Elsie won't support him?

Unfortunately, he didn't get a single answer out of her like he had hoped, but at the very least, he has confirmation that there's more to this story.

Otherwise, Elsie would have been her usual bubbly self, answering whatever questions she had the answers to.

She did previously mention something about remembering about her past just before she removed their chokers, so she did have answers to something he imagines.

For now though, that's all he could get from her. Now, he just has one more person to talk to at school before the dreaded event creeping on him.

Keima reached the school gate where he timidly watched his steps as if expecting another break in reality like before.

At least for now, it seems like nothing is breaking so he proceeded as normal into the school building to attend class.

He poked his head into the class where everyone was getting prepared for class.

It seems that Elsie as optimistic as ever, has bounced back to her usual self where she enthusiastically greeted Ayumi, Chihiro, and Miyako casually.

"Oi! Eri! Ayumi! Where have you two been for the past few days? You hadn't picked up your phone in forever!" Chihiro grinned brightly as she tightly embraced the two of them in-between them.

"Pfft. You mean Elly?" Ayumi chuckled, pointing out Chihiro's small fumble.

"Elly? Is that some new nickname?" Chihiro blinked in confusion.

"Eh? No, we've always nicknamed Elsie as Elly, remember?"

Chihiro and Miyako looked over to each other in agreement when they responded.

"Elsie? Are you ok, Ayumi? Are you not somehow mistaking names with someone else?"

"Argghh! Nothing makes any sense anymore. Elly or Eri, do you know what's going on?" Ayumi looked over to Elsie for confirmation.

"Awawawawa." Elsie stumbled over herself, raising her hands in protest.

Keima loudly slammed the door aside with a loud slam as he walked in, an unusual action by him as he would rather not mark his presence.

However, Elsie in her infinite wisdom who controlled time and space, didn't even make a proper cover story for herself.

If she's bent time and space, altering memories in the process, she should at least realize that a goddess influence on their host won't allow their memories to be altered!

So now he has to cover for her yet again for the time being. By announcing his arrival with such an entrance, he can avert the eyes from Elsie to himself.

At least though, he made sure not to acknowledge their presence as he is entirely fixated on his PFP as usual.

He could feel their glares though. Elsie who is probably still upset at him, Ayumi too as she has questions for him for sure, Chihiro who's anticipating him to let her know everything, and even Miyako for some reason.

He sat down in his seat, waiting for that one person to show up as she always does. Nikaido-Sensei, or Dokorou to be exact.

If she's spiritually connected to Dokorou Skull, even if Dokorou Skull is dead, she probably has the answer to his foundation question.

If she can answer that question, all his other questions should fall into his lap easily enough. He can finish this mess in record speed!

Of course, nothing ever works the way he wants though.

The door slid open again and to his horror, Nikaido-Sensei's commandeering presence was replaced by a weak, meekly one instead.

A late 50 looking year-old looking man stepped into the classroom, tripping over a large selection of books and folders before collecting himself and presenting himself to the class.

"H-Hello, my name is [BACKGROUND CHARACTER]-Sensei. From today onwards, I will be your teacher for the rest of the semester until a replacement for Nikaido-Sensei can be found."

The class looked around, whispering to one another as they stomached the shock. Rumors flew around quick as they tried to baseless conclusions about what happened.

"To dispel any rumors, Nikaido-Sensei simply phoned into the school the other day that she is no longer showing up to school as she has been hired elsewhere."

Of course, the class didn't buy that's not juicy enough drama for them to spread around and the whispers grew into full-blown discussions and arguments between the students.

Some were thrilled that their strict sensei is now gone and that they might finally be able to take it easy while others were upset as she was a inteligent teacher who taught very well. Others were simply just worried for her as it was out of the blue.

Keima's head planted itself into his desk.

'Seriously!? No 2-week notice or anything?' He thought to himself.

He should have seen this coming to be fair. She did tell him this was coming, but he didn't expect this so soon. Couldn't she tell that there would be follow up questions after?

Unless that's precisely why she left so suddenly? Damn, he should have really asked those questions when he had the chance. What a wasted opportunity.

Where did Dokorou run off to?

Class started relatively normally after the new teacher settled down the class.

"HEY! Put those damn games away!" The new teacher snatched away his PFP from his hands.

The entire class knew what is about to go down and they all started chatting amongst themselves again.

Keima pulled out another PFP where it was again promptly taken away, frustrating the new teacher even more.

Another one of course came out and just before it could be snagged, Keima pushed out the box full of 100 or so PFPs that seemingly came out of nowhere from under his desk with his feet.

"Try me. You can never live up to her dedication." He stated as he grabbed another PFP from the box, playing both at the same time, stacked one on the other.

He didn't bother putting in the effort for a cleverly sly mark, but it's good enough at least as the new teacher's nose is practically blowing steam out of it.

The teacher promptly left the classroom in frustration for a moment, before returning to class, no longer bothering with Keima.

* * *

Noon

It's time for the moment Keima has been dreading for a long time. Lunch time on the first day back to school.

This left him in an even more bitter mood than before. Two events gone by now and not a single answer of his has been answered.

He knew that it wouldn't be that easy to get his answers, but not seeing any progression leaves a sour taste in his mouth.

When lunch starts, most students go out to battle for Yaikisoba bread, a good portion stays in their classes and bunches up with friends to eat whatever Bento they brought from home, and a very small select few go to the cafeteria to order overpriced food.

For him, much to Elsie's disappointment, he wouldn't dare eat whatever she packed for him, so the only nutrition for him during lunch is his games as usual.

Today though, he has to wait for a brief period for the event to start.

Right on cue, he heard a chair dragging along the floor as someone got out of their seat.

Ayumi Takahara. The only girl hosting a goddess in his class. She is now standing in front of him, arms folded together.

Before she could say anything, Keima raised his hand in front of her face.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll meet you on the roof in a few minutes. I promise." He sighed.

He recoiled a slight bit in anticipation of some sort of attack from Ayumi but surprisingly, there's no pain.

He expected Ayumi to belittle him or kick him or something, but she is being unexpectedly relaxed.

Shouldn't she be pissed off over what's happened over the past few weeks?

Ayumi only nodded her head as she jogged out of the classroom and up to the roof.

Great, with the essential characters now presumably gathered at the roof, he has room to bring the other two as they are needed there as well.

Elsie and Chihiro aren't who he would flag as essential for this, but it's going to be much easier to explain things with those two there.

He walked up to Chihiro's desk first. Normally, he would grab Elsie first, but if she's still upset with him, having Chihiro with him to bring her along will be easier.

"It's time Chihiro, come with me and I can finally explain everything to you." He held out his hand as a comfort gesture.

"Remember Keima, everything. You're going to tell me everything, right?" She asked again, making sure that he nodded in agreement before taking his hand.

Next up is Elsie. The two of them walked over to Elsie's desk.

'Wait, why is Eri coming along?' Chihiro pondered to herself.

However, instead of gently bringing her with him, he grabbed the back of her shirt collar and dragged her against her will with him.

"Nii-Sama! You're so mean! Let me go!" Elsie whined, her arms and legs flailing in protest.

At the very, she didn't take whatever upset her earlier personally it seems.

The three of them had reached the school roof. Strangely enough, not many people know about the school roof, which makes it a perfect spot to game alone.

Today however is different of course, like he has said more than once already.

He made his way over to a particular bench. Benches typically aren't particularly noticeable other than to shut down any confession hopes and desires one may have. However, there is one bench that stands above the rest.

This bench that is the one before him with a velvet red fur blanket draped over it. Tsukiyo's bench.

And low and behold, there is the petite blonde foreign-like girl herself, sitting there patiently.

She seemed rather tense today despite her doll, Luna accompanying her as well. That's probably because of the rather large party assemble by her bench.

On the left of her bench is Ayumi and Yui, the former tapping her foot repeatedly while the latter in her boys' uniform who blew a kiss towards Keima upon seeing him.

She's still not gunning for him, is she?! Like Chihiro, she is fully capable of making him flustered and confused. Please don't make this more difficult than it already is Yui!

Anyway, to his surprise is Tenri. She already knows everything that's going on so why she is here as well is anyone's guess.

As usual, in a social environment she has withdrawn entirely, popping her bubble wrap as expected.

Even Kanon is there! Of course, Keima expected that despite her very limited free time. She must have pulled some strings with her manager to attend this important event.

Given that the school isn't in an uproar today, it looks like she's been escorted here in secret so that this event doesn't turn into a spectator event.

She's wearing a dark blue puffy overcoat, heavy spectacles, and a large blue matching beret to cover her distinct pink hair as an extra layer of disguise.

She took off her beret just then as Keima presented himself.

She's acting much more reserved than before, a direct effect of Chihiro's influence. Instead of jumping on him like she might have before, she only offered a warm smile as an introduction.

Elsie though is the one who jumped on Kanon instead. The superfan in her couldn't help but break the distance between the two of them.

Kanon isn't personally close to Elsie relationship-wise but she couldn't help but give cute head pats for her.

Afterall, Elsie is the one who saved her career during her time unconscious.

The most surprising thing of all though is Shiori. She isn't to the left or right of the bench, but instead sitting directly on the bench next to Tsukiyo.

Tsukiyo never lets anybody sit with her on the bench besides Luna normally. If the blanket is on the bench, you can forget about sitting there.

What could have happened between the two of them out of his knowledge?

With everyone gathered now, the event commences!

Shiori of all people is the one who stood up of all people.

"…"

"…"

"…"

Everyone looked over to a flustered Shiori who has now standing up, realized the embarrassment overcoming her, and her knees trembled.

Tsukiyo reached over and lightly elbowed her in the back of her knee causing Shiori to stumble slightly. It's a strange form of support, but it's the best that Tsukiyo could do.

"I want to thoroughly investigate everything that's happened!" She blurted out.

Keima's eyes widened upon hearing that.

He didn't see that coming, especially not from Shiori. He expected Ayumi to be the first to speak up.

But looking over, Ayumi didn't seem to even care whatsoever! She looks to have her head in the clouds staring out into the distance, her arms behind her head with hands locked together giving off a carefree expression.

What's going on? Nobody is acting exactly as he predicted! Just what happened with everyone while he was in the past?

Though thinking about Shiori's sudden announcement, it might suit him better.

Shiori is a smart girl, and her access and understanding of the largest collection of books in Majima City could be a great boon for his investigation.

He didn't see it coming, but the two of them in their desire of information have somehow procured a collective goal.

Together they could be the Sherlock Holmes and John Watson duo of the investigation.

He can't have it go exactly like that for his own reasons but Shiori could be a great partner for certain parts of his investigation, especially regarding topics found in books such as the history of Maijima City.

He will need to get back to her eventually.

Tsukiyo suddenly spoke up as well to voice her own opinion as well.

"KATSURAGI!" She shouted.

For a small girl who doesn't like to speak to people all too often, when she speaks, she's loud. Suddenly all eyes were all her.

"I speak for everyone here when I ask What the hell was going on!?"

No way is he getting out of this one. Playing with her heart not once but twice! And by what she could infer from the others, looks like her case isn't special either.

She thought he could see the beauty of the moon just like she could, but all he turned out to be is a big deceiving liar!

How did she end up falling in love for the same disgusting man not once but twice? And to suddenly turn on his head and announce he is in love with another woman after kissing her less than a month earlier!

She could have spent so much more time in her own beautiful world, alone and undisturbed just like she has always been.

But why does that make her feel so… empty?

She can't deny that she didn't necessarily _hate_ the time she spent with him and plus, if she hadn't met him, she would have never met such a good friend like Shiori.

Shiori is very distant still, but she could see the passion in her eyes. It's similar to Kasturagi in a way, but minus the whole deception bit.

She could see how Katsuragi's eyes lit up when he spoke of that strange 2-D girl and those fake worlds he engrossed himself in just like Shiori's eyes did the same when she spoke of the library and her books.

They both seek beauty in their own ways, just like how she does in her own observatory.

And that's why she had to support Shiori here! If anybody has some of the answers that she is look for, it's the horrible man in front of them! It's time for an interrogation!

He will probably try to run away, use some weird magic like he did the first time he met her, but she swears that on Luna that she will not let him have his way this time!

"Fine, I will tell you all everything that's happened over the past year or so, since I got involved in this ridiculous plot." Keima stated to them all.

Wait what? No, he must be lying, some strange underlying motive she isn't seeing here. He's done it before, he can do it again.

"On that day… ever since I was summoned to do Hell's work on the roof… my daily life has fallen apart."

"And who's going to believe such a ridiculous lie?" She retorted.

"And who's the ones who can claim to have celestial beings inhabiting your bodies!?" He retorted back.

She is this close to jumping out of her seat and slapping him across the face, as unbeautiful as that may be when suddenly Shiori softly grabbed her arm and lowered it.

"Let's hear him out on this one, please. He's the only one we can rely on for this." Shiori insisted.

'HE WAS TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT THAT!?' Shiori internally screamed at herself.

She thought that was just a ridiculous made-up excuse about why he was cross-dressing!

But it lines up with the strange situations that's been popping up in her life, there's more to this that he can share!

"Ahem, anyway." He coughed into his arm.

* * *

"There was a high school boy named Keima Katsuragi.

Katsuragi was a genius who cherished his solitude, an unbelievable _God of Conquest_.

Then one day, Katsuragi received in email.

It happened in a flash! A devil from New Hell had appeared before Katsuragi!

This devil called Elsie was useless!". He pointed directly at Elsie.

While all the girls were dumbfounded by his ridiculous description of his story, Elsie pulled him away, behind some trees and bushes just out of sight.

"Nii-Sama!" You can't throw me under the bus like that!" She whined.

"You're the one who threw _me _under the bus to begin with. I have to explain why I've had to kiss 20+ girls and 6-time some of them!" He complained right back.

"But I'm not associated with Hell anymore!"

"But you _were,_ and you are technically the reason for me having to go and conquer them!"

"Well, _technically, _you're the one who used the device to open the gaps in their hearts." Elsie stuck out her tongue in protest.

"Quit trying to play smart! Why? What do you want to tell them?"

"I don't know!" Elsie twiddled with her fingers.

"If you're going to try and argue with me, at least make up your damn mind!"

Elsie looked downtrodden again as she tried weighing her options to no avail.

"What's going to happen if they hear that and hate me for it though?"

Elsie couldn't bear the thought of losing her friends Ayumi, Chihiro, Yui, and Kanon.

What would they say? She supported her Nii-Sama in his conquest for their hearts. She actively lied about herself to them. How could they trust her ever again?

"Well, if it came down to that, you really have nobody to blame but yourself." He admitted casually.

"Nii-Sama!" Tears started to well up in her eyes.

"Relax there. Trust me, they won't hate you. If I've learned anything over the past year, it's that true friendships like the ones you hold with them won't break so easily.

Just make sure you tell them the whole truth and express your opinions with complete conviction. You will get through to them, I can promise you that with my own conviction."

"Jeez, you really have a way with words, you know that?" Elsie looked away, blushing in embarrassment.

"Plus, the truth here is important. We owe them that much, don't we?" Keima added in the end.

Elsie's blush deepened slightly.

Her Nii-Sama has really grown as a person hasn't he? When she first met him, he was so distant. She felt she could never reach him.

Every time she tried to run faster and catch up with him, he would end up even further from her than before.

She's sure that he's not even aware of it himself, but the people he's interacted with and shared experiences with together has really changed his perception of this world.

She wanted her Nii-Sama to love this world just like how she does.

He's never felt so close before and it made her heart swell up. No, he never slowed down, nor did she either.

Her Nii-Sama ran faster and faster as he always did, but now he extended his hand back to her. He's willing to help those in need.

His commitment to tell the truth to the girls moved her. There's no logical reason to tell them everything. She knew that in the past, he would have simply ignored the issue until the girls quit pestering him.

So how could she refuse him like this?

"Just this once Nii-Sama, I'll be my previous self." Elsie smiled deeply towards him.

Keima was a bit surprised at Elsie smiling. He expected her to accept like he wanted, but he also expected she would only do so reluctantly, especially with what happened on the way to school.

The underlying issue about that event may still be prevalent but he seems to have circumvented the expected reaction somehow.

"Good, but can you cut it with the creepy smile." He groaned.

"Haiiii~" She walked back to the event with Keima.

"There you are, you thought you could hide away from us?" Tsukiyo growled, clearly losing her patience.

If there is anybody who is the most pissed off over what happened, it's her. Clearly, she is still a perfect host for Vulcanus

Again, on cue, seemingly out of nowhere, Keima was assaulted by a book as if his mind was read.

"Starting back where I last left off…"

Keima immediately dropped to the ground, bowing down in the most pathetic fashion imaginable.

"I apologize for everything that's happened."

Everyone's jaws sank seeing him throw away his pride so suddenly.

"You too!" He whispered aggressively to Elsie.

Elsie dropped down into the same position.

"Wait, Eri too!?" Chihiro exclaimed in total shock.

"I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry everybody!" Elsie let out.

Elsie looked over to Keima where he shook his head in agreement. Standing back up, Elsie took one big breath before she revealed it all.

"My real name is Elucia De Lute Ima, but please call me Eri Katsuragi. I'm a 3rd class demon of New Hell assigned to the Runaway Spirit Squad.

I was previously tasked with capturing the evil Runaway Spirits that escaped captivity in New Hell, who plotted their revenge in the human world.

To do so, my former Chief named Dokorou Skull assigned me to a 'buddy' to help capture the Spirits.

This 'buddy' of mine is my Nii-Sama right here who accepted the contract from Dokorou Skull to capture all the Spirits in the city."

"Unwittingly, my I add." Keima chipped in.

"The captive spirits gain power by taking residents in the gaps of a girl's heart.

To force them out of a heart, I needed Nii-Sama to make you all fall in love with him to fill the gap in your hearts with his love and force the Spirits out!

After the Runaway Spirits were caught, One of Hell's admins erased any memory you had interacting with Nii-Sama over the course of the Spirit possession.

To ensure that we would do our jobs, Hell has us wear these chokers that would decapitate us if we ever tried to forcibly remove them."

Shocked silence. This was a huge drop on everybody, information-wise.

"W-Wait, this has to be one big joke, right? There's no way that can be true!" Ayumi blurted out, looking around for confirmation.

"Do I have to mention the goddesses inhabiting your bodies again?!" Keima spurted out.

"Oh, so it was your job to have us fall for you. Ahhh, what a twist of fate!" Yui said, coming to realization landing her fist into the palm of her other hand.

"So, wait, Eri, you're a bonified demon? Like the evil, manipulative, deceptive red-looking dudes with horns and goat bottoms?" Chihiro brought up.

"We new demons are different from the ones of old." Elsie looked down displeased.

"Pffft, as if Eri could pull off an act like that! She's an honest maiden a heart." Yui included.

"That and she's too clumsy and air-headed to hide any ill-intent from us!" Ayumi enthusiastically slapped Elsie's back causing her to nearly trip over.

Chihiro walked up to her and stuck her fingers in her mouth, prodding around for a bit.

"Yea, and I'm not seeing any fangs here!" Chihiro started playing around with Elsie.

"No horns here either!" Ayumi shuffled her hands through her hair.

"Well, demons in families with a long history do have them." Elsie interjected.

"And no tail to speak of!" Out of nowhere, Yui snuck under Elsie, peeking up her skirt, causing her to jump away humiliated.

"So, you guys aren't mad at me?" Elsie asked in a dejected tone.

"As if we could get upset with someone like you. I'm not exactly thrilled at the prospect of supporting that guy have his way, but it's your job, right?" Chihiro said embracing Elsie from behind.

"Plus, your life was on the line! That collar must be some kind of war crime, right?! I think it's rather cool that you couldn't tell anybody and maintained your cool!" Yui's eyes were sparkling as she held one of Elsie's hands in between her own.

"You have to show us some demon magic or curses sometime, that's gotta be the most badass stuff!" Ayumi jumped on an already surrounded Elsie, embracing her from the side and patting her on the head similar to how Kanon did earlier.

She did manage though to peek a glance at Keima who looked away but shot a small thumbs-up in her direction.

Well, it seems that went over smoothly. That Elsie was freaking out for no good reason.

"Don't think you're getting away with this though, darling!" Yui hollered at him, causing him to nervously turn back to them.

Oh, how wonderful, even after Elsie explained the general gist behind things, looks like they want to know the finer details.

Keima pulled up some benches for everyone else who's left standing to sit in.

"We'll be here until nightfall if you want to hear it all. But for now, you should all head back to class and meet back up afterschool.

With that, the bells rang, signaling the end of lunch.

Everyone headed down back to class, anxious for the end of the day.

Keima, about to head down from the roof, brought out his PFP for some stress relief when the back of his arm was pulled on.

Turning his head around, he met Chihiro eye to eye. She looked frustrated and annoyed as she stared him down.

"Oi, what the hell are you thinking?"

"What do you mean?" He responded innocently.

"Why did I have to go through that dumb '3 conditions of the_ Capturing God_' or whatever ridiculous naming scheme you probably have?

If you're going to tell everyone everything anyway, why did you make me go agree to that?

Is it because I'm not some demon from Hell or a goddess in the body of a high school girl?"

"Wrong! It's because you have unlocked my secret 'bonus chapter'! He exclaimed proudly.

"'Bonus Chapter'? Really? You just had to put it into gaming terms, didn't you? What do you even mean by that!?"

"You'll have to find out later of course."

"For such a perfectionist, you sure know how to procrastinate don't you?" she muttered.

"For now though, come out from behind that tree, will you?" He pointed towards a tree on the edge of the school roof.

"Eep!" A familiar cry could be heard as the bushes around the tress rustled.

Coming out from her cover is Tenri Ayukawa, the shy girl still popping her endless supply of bubble wrap.

"I didn't mean to spy" She managed to get out after a minute.

He understood that. Tenri isn't the type to hold hidden intentions. She's up here because she doesn't have anywhere else to go.

Tenri doesn't go to Majima High, if she got caught going down with the rest of the students, she'd be promptly kicked off school grounds by the teachers.

Staying up here out of sight is her best options.

The thing on the forefront of his mind though is why Tenri is even here to begin.

She's the one who knows the most regarding the plotline, so she doesn't have a reason to extract information from him!

"Who is this girl? She's not wearing our uniform; how do you even know her?" Chihiro looked up at him accusingly.

"A childhood friend of mine… I guess." He admitted reluctantly.

After introducing themselves to each other, Keima asked Tenri what she's doing here in the first place.

"Diana mentioned something about meeting up with the goddesses to discuss something important. I heard the hosts wanted to meet with you, so I tagged along."

"Important how?" Keima narrowed his eyes.

"She wouldn't tell me the details." Tenri popped her bubbles increasingly faster in response to his stern face.

"Diana, do you have something to tell us?" He asked, making sure to use his PFP's slightly reflective screen as an impromptu mirror.

No response though, and it made Keima sick to his stomach.

The goddesses know something is wrong.

This is exactly what he is worried about. He didn't want to goddesses probing around and investigating like he's going to, it's partially the reason he's reluctant to integrate Shiori into the investigation fully.

The goddesses getting suspicious over the many potholes and inconsistencies surrounding events is no surprise, but it is too early for them to be calling attention to it.

"I understand, if you won't talk about it, it's not for me to hear." He suddenly retreated from the conversation.

For now, Chihiro and him are dreadfully late for class. He didn't really care about getting chewed out by the teacher, but he'd rather not get Chihiro in trouble for holding her up.

* * *

_The List_

_**Foundation Question**_

_What is the clear requirement for the contract with Hell?_

_Who is the girl who needs to be conquered?_

_**Standard Questions**_

_Is there a Demeter goddess?_

_Is there a connection between the Shiratori family, Hell, and Heaven?_

_Who comprises Satyr and what is their end goal?_

_Why does Satyr need the revived goddesses?_

_Is Satyr still active even after their plans are foiled?_

_Has Satyr's plans even been ruined at all?_

_How/why did Vintage/Satyr artificially mature loose souls?_

_How does the Loose Souls Team maintain status quo despite their low capture rate?_

_Who is Akari and how does she fit into everything?_

_Where is Dokorou? *NEW*_

_**Elsie Questions**_

_What the hell is Elsie?_

_Why did Satyr need Elsie?_

_How did Elsie join the Loose Souls Team?_

_How is Elsie the 'last boss'?_

_How many times has Elsie been summoned and for what purposes?_

_How do you summon Elsie and activate her as a 'weapon'?_

_What did Elsie mean when she said she was 'reincarnated'?_

_Is Satyr still pursuing Elsie?_

_How powerful is Elsie?_

_Is Elsie still capable of using her powers?_

_What is the source of Elsie's powers?_

* * *

…

**Author Notes:**

**Sorry if the end seems a bit abrupt, like I said in the beginning, the next chapter was originally part of this chapter, but it would have been way too long, so I had to condense it somewhat. It's not a perfect cut down the middle, but this is the best I could do logically. Given the length of these chapters, there are bound to be mistakes so please forgive me!**

**The next chapter should be here very soon this time, since I was already working on it (almost finished for sure).**

**This is the first chapter that incorporates any significant amount of dialogue between characters and since it's my first-time writing character dialogue in 5 years, it might be a little rough, especially given that it's a group conversation between wildly different characters. But there's always room for improvement of course!**

**Yes, I know some characters didn't get as much time in the spotlight, but it's not like 2 chapters is the only time we will see them!**

**The next chapter will signal the end of the **_**introduction arc**_**.**

**R&R please! I'm desperate.**

**Anyway, on to the next stage!**


End file.
